


Proof Of Life

by cazmalfoy



Category: CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Proof of Life (2000)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 22:05:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6584404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cazmalfoy/pseuds/cazmalfoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was supposed to be their vacation...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Proof Of Life

**Author's Note:**

> This is a movie re-write with a CSI: NY/Miami twist.

**New York City**

Danny Messer grabbed his cell phone from where it lay on the tabletop. "Let's go," he instructed, ushering his men out of the door.

His partner, Tim Speedle, was standing on the curb, having a cigarette and talking animatedly with someone on the other end of the line. "I'm telling you, he was in on it," Tim argued.

"Come on," Danny said, taking the cell from Tim. "He'll call you back," the blonde said into the phone before snapping it closed.

"That could have been a very important call, you know?"

"It wasn't though," Danny pointed out, sticking his hands in his pockets and heading over to a nearby SUV. "We got the green light," he called over his shoulder.

"About damn time," Tim grumbled, climbing into the passenger seat. "Where's the drop off?"

"East twenty-fifth," Danny glanced at the side mirror before pulling out in to the mid-town traffic.

"Who's making the drop?" Tim reached forward and pulled open the glove compartment, withdrawing a brown paper file.

"Matthews." Danny turned the steering wheel violently, barely avoiding the pink Mercedes that cut in front of him. "Son of a..." he growled, bashing the heel of his hand against the horn.

Tim chuckled as he flicked through the file on their hostage. "I tell you," he commented, trying to make sense of Danny's scrawl, "this has got to be the quickest negotiation we've ever done."

Danny bit his bottom lip in thought and abruptly pulled the car into a nearby parking spot. 

"What the hell are you doing?" Tim demanded.

"Don't ya think this whole thin' went down a little  _too_ quick?" the blue eyed man asked, turning a little in his seat. 

"You're going to have to explain that one better, Dan," Tim shook his head, "because I'm not following you."

"This guy ... Louis..." Danny explained, "he's been a hostage, what? Six weeks?" Tim nodded. "It wasn't even two days before we got the first ransom call. And even then, they agreed to the first offer we put on the table."

"You think that it's fake?" Danny nodded his head and Speed went on, "Normally, I would argue, but..."

"I've been doing this job long enough to know that when something doesn't feel right, it generally isn't," Danny finished. "Fuck!" he cursed, pulling the SUV back out into the lane of traffic, almost hitting a mini-van as he sped off towards their drop off point. "I haven't lost any of my marks and I'm not about to start now."

The corner where the drop was supposed to take place was cordoned off when Danny and Tim pulled up to the curb.

"What happened?" Danny demanded, climbing out of the car and stalking over to Matthews.

"We did everything according to plan," Matthews answered. "Made the drop, no one was in sight, but..."

"But...?" Danny prompted.

"That was in the mail box." Matthews pointed across the street to where the NYPD were taking photographs and witness statements.

Danny moved away from Tim and Matthews, heaving over to the head detective. "What's in the box?"

"This isn't any of your business any more," a loudmouth homicide detective snapped.

"McAvoy?" Another cop placed a hand on the detective's arm. "Miss Maliona is ready to give her statement now."

The detective glared at Danny, before nodding and heading over to a busty blonde, whom Danny assumed to be Miss Maliona. "Sorry about that, Danny," Mac Taylor apologized, lifting up the tape for Danny to duck under.

"What's going on here, Mac?" Danny questioned. "This was a strictly 'drop off and collect' maneuver. What went wrong?"

"I think the mistake happened long before your people were even contacted," Mac sighed, glancing down at the notebook in hand. "ME puts time of death at approximately six weeks ago."

Danny ran his hand through his hair. "No offense but..."

"Hawkes confirmed TOD," Mac smiled. 

Danny blushed and mumbled an apology. "Guess this isn't one of ours any more," he muttered. "I knew something was off... I should have followed my instincts from the start," he growled and kicked a rock across the street.

Mac chuckled. "One black mark on your record isn't going to tarnish your reputation, Danny. You're one of the best K&R consultants out there. You and Speed are practically infallible."

"You're only saying that because you trained me," Danny grinned.

Mac laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "I taught you what I know. You were the one who made those teachings your own and taught them to Speed," he pointed out.

"Danny!" Tim shouted from where he was standing near the car. "Are you coming?"

Danny nodded his head and turned back to Mac. "Go!" Mac ushered him away before the blonde could open his mouth.

Danny grinned and shook Mac's hand, promising to stick around long enough to catch up over a few beers, the next time Danny was in town.

"What?" Danny demanded. "I was talking," he pointed out.

"We're going on vacation," Tim told him, sliding into the driver's seat.

Danny frowned. "Vacation?" he repeated.

"Dino called me back after you hung up on him." Danny just shrugged his shoulders. Tim smirked, "Thorne's in town."

~

**South America**

"I hope you're not planning on making me work while I'm here," Danny complained, following Tim into the club.

"We're on vacation, Danny," Tim rolled his eyes. He glanced around the room for a second before finding who he was looking for. "It looks like they'll let anyone in here."

Dino looked up from the table and a grin spread across his face. "If they let you in the country, Speed, they must be desperate."

Tim laughed and embraced the redhead. "You hung up on me," Dino accused Danny.

"It was urgent." Danny shrugged apologetically, embracing his former partner. 

"Life or death urgent?" Dino asked.

"Unfortunately the last one."

The redhead winced. "You lost a mark?" Danny nodded. "It happens to the best of us, bro’."

"Not to me, it doesn't," Danny grumbled.

"Your first loss?" Wyatt asked, looking up at Tim.

The brunette nodded as Danny excused himself to go to the bathroom. "He's taking it hard," he explained, sliding into the seat opposite Dino. "It's pretty much all he's been thinking about."

"He looks exhausted," Wyatt commented. "Is he not sleeping?"

Tim shook his head. "How long have you two been screwing then?" Dino asked conversationally, having a drink.

"How long have you been jonesing for Thorne?" Tim countered, earning himself a glare from the other man.

When Danny returned to the table a waiter approached them, setting four pale pink cocktails on the glass tabletop. The instant the glasses were set down, Danny took out the blue umbrella that was in his and began spinning it in front of him.

"What is this bullshit?" Wyatt demanded in Spanish. The waiter remained silent, pointing over his shoulder towards the bar.

"The competition arrives," Dino smirked, getting to his feet as Terry approached their table. "Welcome home bro’, been waiting for you."

"Course you were." Terry rolled his eyes.

"We heard an ugly rumor you were around here somewhere."

Danny lit a cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "What's this?" he questioned, pointing to the cut above Terry's right eye. "Face lift?

"Yeah... Yeah... I'm doing one side at a time." He paused and looked at Dino. "You good?"

"He looks like shit but he's working." Dino cocked his head toward Wyatt.

"You celebrating?"

Tim grinned. "Life, liberty..."

"And the ability to purchase clitoris," Dino smiled, but Tim noticed that it didn't seem to reach his blue eyes.

"What are you two doing here?" Terry asked.

"On vacation," Tim said simply.

"I lost a mark and now I'm drowning my sorrows in a shot glass," Danny corrected. "You'll find out anyway."

"Drowning your sorrows?" Terry repeated. "You'll need a bigger glass than that, then." He beckoned the waiter over, and after a few Spanish words and several hand gestures, the waiter returned with some more drinks.

~

Tim watched as Dino glanced down at the paper that Terry had handed him. "Sure," the red head said softly, sliding the sheet into his pocket and finishing his drink. "I'll get right on it."

He pulled out a few bills, placing them on the table, before excusing himself.

Tim caught Danny's eye and cocked his head in the direction that Dino had just gone. The blonde quickly mumbled something about needing the bathroom and got to his feet.

"Dino!" Danny called once he was outside the bar. "What's wrong?"

"Why would anything be wrong?" Dino asked nonchalantly, unlocking his car.

Danny shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "Speed, sent me to see if there was something up."

Silence washed over them until Dino spoke again. "How do you two do that?"

Danny frowned. "Do what?"

"You know what the other's thinking."

"No we don't," Danny scoffed, leaning against the car.

"I've seen you two together. You fit together perfectly. Whatever move you make, Speed compliments it and vise versa." Dino sighed.

"You were the same with Thorne," Danny pointed out.

"Yeah, right."

"When you two were working together, you were just the same," Danny insisted. "When are you going to make your move on him?"

Dino laughed loud. "How about... never?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "You know you want to bang him; I know it, Wyatt knows it, Speed knows it ... hell, I bet even Thorne knows it. Come on man," Danny pushed, "restraint isn't exactly your thing. Why haven't you done anything?"

"He's been out of town."

"But he's back now. Just in time for you to tell him how you feel," he smirked.

~

**Hotel**

Tim glanced up from the book that he was reading when the door burst open and Danny stormed into the room. Tim was no expert on foreign languages, but he could tell that the words coming out of the blonde's mouth were Italian and, if Tim wasn't mistaken, they weren't polite words either.

"What's wrong now?" Tim asked, turning his attention back to the book.

Danny looked at him and continued speaking in Italian, no doubt telling Tim what the problem was.

"Danny...?" 

His lover just continued talking. 

"Danny!" Tim shouted.

Danny stopped abruptly. "What?"

"I asked what was wrong."

Danny glared. "That's what I'm trying to tell you."

Tim raised an eyebrow. "You were speaking in Italian again."

Danny blushed. "Sorry," he whispered. "Terry has gone back to London. Dino was gonna tell him tomorrow."

"Do you really think that he'd do that?" 

Danny sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Probably not," he admitted. "He's been wanting Thorne for years." Danny sat down heavily on the bed. "What made you admit you wanted me?"

"A lot of beer," Tim laughed. "There's no way I would have been able to admit that without some liquid courage."

"So, what you're saying is that we just have to find a way to get Thorne and Dino in the same place and get Dino drunk?"

Tim nodded. "Should be easy enough to do. Just give him a big bottle of scotch."

A loud rock song cut through the silence of the room and Tim grimaced. "How can you listen to that crap?"

Danny glared and reached over, fumbling in his jacket pockets for his cell phone. "It's not crap." He frowned when he looked at the display. "Terry?" he asked.

Tim sat up, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees as he listened to Danny's side of the conversation. "Yeah, okay," Danny nodded. "We'll meet you there."

"Thorne's back," Danny told Tim, snapping the phone closed. "He's going to take on the Bowman's case independently."

"And he wants our help?" Tim guessed, book marking his page. Danny nodded. "I thought you said that you didn't want to be working while we're here?" Tim commented, getting to his feet and pulling his jacket on.

"I'm not going..." Danny sighed. "I know this isn't my case. But I don't want to lose another."

Tim smiled sadly and squeezed Danny's shoulder. "You won't," he whispered.

~

**The Bowman's House**

"We goin' in, guns blazing?" Dino asked hopefully, his eyes twinkling at the thought.

Thorne laughed and opened the trunk of the car. "Not quite." Danny was sure that Dino just pouted. "I'm going in the front. That car," he nodded to the drive way, "wasn't there before, which probably means that there's a stranger in that house."

"A stranger who doesn't know the first thing about hostage negotiation," Dino pre-empted, securing a weapon at his side.

"Exactly," Terry nodded. "Danny, you and Dino cover the back. Speed..."

"I'll cover you," Tim grinned, grabbing his own weapon from the trunk.

"He's back," Danny said softly, following Dino around the back of the house.

"So?" Dino replied.

"So..." Danny muttered, rolling his eyes, "now is the perfect time to tell him."

Dino reached out and tried the door. "When are people going to learn that leaving their doors unlocked only leads to trouble?"

"You're avoiding my question," Danny hissed.

"I know," Dino smirked, slipping into the house silently. He cocked his head to the side, listening to what was happening in the other room.

"What do we got here?" Terry was saying. "We got, one... two... three guys with guns and a shitload of money."

"Good job there's four of us," Danny whispered in his friend's ear.

Dino nodded distractedly, the former Delta-Force operative's attention was completely focused on the other room.

"You don't wave guns around people you're trying to help," Terry said in the other room.

Screams from the Bowman's followed Terry's advice and Dino glanced over at Danny. "That's our cue," he whispered.

"I know," Danny replied. "I was there when this was planned as well."

Dino rolled his eyes and moved through the door, with Danny following behind him.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Terry asked the big man in front of him. "I think you should take a deep breath and calm down, then look over there and meet my friends." He nodded towards Dino and Danny, who both had their guns trained on Fernandez.

"Arturo," Dino practically purred, cocking his gun.

Terry sprang into action the second Fernandez's attention was diverted away from him, taking Fernandez's gun and pointing it at one of the other guys. "Put the fucking thing down."

"Thought you were going legit?" Dino smirked.

Terry smiled, his eyes twinkling brightly, causing Danny to look pointedly at Dino. The blonde growled when he realized that Dino was completely oblivious to how Terry's face lit up when the red head was around.

~

Tim glanced over his shoulder at his lover, who was sitting on the steps that led down from the house to garden, smoking a cigarette. Dino was sitting next to him. Both had weapons in their hands and, if Tim wasn't mistaken, they were comparing the size of their barrels.

"When are you guys gonna put those things away?" Janice asked wearily when she saw the guns.

Dino reached over Danny and grabbed the New Yorker's cigarettes. "Here." He handed the packet to Janice. "These'll help."

"What?" Dino asked innocently, noticing that Danny was glaring at him.

"You owe me a packet," Danny informed him.

Dino grinned when Terry walked to the two of them. "We're ready to go when you are," he said, looking at Dino.

"We're the talk of the town," Dino answered, getting to his feet and brushing dust from his ass.

"Is it complementary?"

"You'd be flattered," he chuckled.

Terry turned to Danny and asked where Alice was. "I think I heard some noise coming from the kitchen."

The Australian nodded and turned away, before pausing and turning back. "Hey..."

Dino looked up curiously. "Yeah?"

Terry smiled. "That was fun."

"Yeah," Dino smirked, turning and heading down the path.

When Terry had disappeared Danny got to his feet, glaring at Dino. The blonde shouted something in Italian before stalking past Tim into the house.

"What did he just say?" Dino asked in confusion, pointing after Danny.

Tim shrugged. "Something about getting your head out of your ass, I'd imagine."

~

Tim got to their hotel room a couple of hours after Danny, only to find the room in complete darkness.

He flicked on the light, much to Danny's annoyance. "Turn that fucking thing off!"

Tim rolled his eyes and shut off the bright light as Danny turned on the much dimmer bedside lamp.

"Why are you lying in the dark?" Tim sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his boots off.

"I was thinking."

"About...?"

"Dino." Danny pushed himself into an upright position. "I'm trying to figure out how I could hide his body."

Tim laughed and kissed him softly. "He'll come to his senses eventually..." he pulled Danny down beside him. "When he realizes what he's missing."

~

**Church**

Danny looked up from the bible in his hands. His ass was starting to go numb.

He had been sat on the same church pew for two hours and they definitely were not designed for comfort. The worst thing was that he hadn't seen anyone who looked even a little bit suspicious near the altar.

He turned his attention back to the bible, trying not to make it too obvious that he was checking out the place. He rolled his eyes when he realized that the book in his hands was upside down.

Part of him wouldn't be surprised if one of the kidnappers had walked straight up to the altar and placed the proof of life there in full view of everyone watching.

He tried to focus but no matter how hard he struggled, his attention kept diverting back to Dino and Terry. He knew that he was driving Tim crazy with his meddling but he just couldn't let it go.

Dino was one of Danny's best friends and he hated that there was nothing Dino would let him do to help.

~

**Market Place**

"What's this?" Danny asked, picking up a strange pink fruit.

Tim turned to the seller and questioned him as Danny looked on expectantly. "I haven't got a clue," Tim shrugged.

Danny glared and put the fruit back. "I thought you could speak their language."

"Not when they speak that damn fast I can't," Tim argued, putting his hands in his pockets as they continued to browse the market.

Terry and Alice were a little way ahead of them and, even though Danny seemed more focused on shopping, Tim knew they had to ensure that Alice was safe.

Screams ripped through the air and everyone fell to the ground when a bomb a few miles away exploded.

"Was that related?" Terry's voice sounded in Danny and Tim's earpieces.

Tim lifted his hand, speaking into the microphone that was attached to his wrist. "I doubt it," he shook his head. "This area of the world is hot all the time, remember?"

"Get back here just in case," Dino's voice sounded. The red head was back at the house, on watch over the radio just in case there should be any contact from the kidnappers.

~

**The Bowman's House**

"You can't go too high on these accounts," Dino commented as Alice signed the relevant paper work for the bank details. "Anything too large they put under a microscope."

Just as Danny returned with his and Dino's drinks the lights flickered before going out completely, leaving the house in complete darkness.

"Great," Tim drawled.

"No worries," Terry shrugged. "Hey Dino, grab some candles, will you? They're in the drawer near you. Speed, you got a lighter?"

Dino sighed and, even in the darkness, Danny knew that his friend was wondering how Terry knew his way around their client’s house so well.

Dino reached behind him and grabbed the candles, handing them to Terry. In the faint moonlight Danny could see that Terry’s fingers brushed against the back of Dino’s hand. He rolled his eyes when he realized that Dino hadn’t realized that Terry did it on purpose.

"Kinda reminds me of your last birthday," Terry smirked, lighting the candles and carefully setting them down.

Dino grinned at the memory. "Terry popped out of the cake," he explained at everyone else’s confused looks.

"In his underwear," Danny added, taking Tim’s lighter back from Terry and lighting a cigarette. "It was terrifying," he shuddered.

~

**Hospital**

Danny watched Terry leave with Dino a few steps behind him. He leaned close and whispered in Tim’s ear before following them outside the hospital, hanging back a little as he listened to what was being said.

"He didn’t see him get killed or a body." Terry put his hands in his pockets. "He heard a shot."

Dino sighed. "You gotta wake up. You gotta get real on this now."

"You don’t spend that much time on a deal only to kill your hostage."

"When did you last have contact?" Dino pushed. "Maybe there are no more deals to be made."

"Maybe he’s alive," Terry argued.

"Kessler knows every inch of that camp." Dino looked over the valley. "My guy’s still there, man." He turned back to Terry. "That map is real."

"You’re thinking of going in there aren’t you?" Terry accused.

"Fuck thinking!" Dino spat. "What else can I do? Are you in, or not?"

Terry bit his bottom lip in thought before grinning at his friend. "I’m in."

"You following me, Messer?" Dino demanded when Danny stepped out into the open after Terry left.

"I just thought something might be wrong."

"Well, it’s not."

"You sure? It sounded like you two were having a lover’s spat," Danny smirked, ducking as Dino made to hit him on the shoulder.

~

"Uptown 1 this is Downtown 2. I have a man down. I repeat, Downtown 3 is down."

"Fuck!" Dino cursed. He swapped guns with Danny. "Get him into the helicopter."

"What do you think you’re doing?" Danny demanded.

"I’ve got a man down."

"Dino, it’s too…"

"Dangerous?" Dino smirked. "Yeah, I know. But when have you ever known me to be cautious?"

"Not helping, Dino," Danny glared.

"I can’t leave here, knowing that I left one of my men to die."

Danny sighed and nodded his head. "Just be careful, okay?"

"You know me."

"Dino…?"

~

Dino sighed with exhaustion. Their mission was over and the adrenaline was starting to wear off, leaving his body and mind extremely tired.

He glanced over at Terry. The Australian’s cheeks were still stained red from the remainder of the blood he hadn’t been able to get rid of with a bottle of mineral water. His eyes weren’t as bloodshot as they had been earlier and his vision seemed to be clearing, if the way his blurry eyes following Dino were anything to go by.

"Something wrong?" Terry asked, his voice barely audible over the whir of the rotor blades.

Dino grinned and shook his head. "Glad you’re okay, Terry," he murmured, earning himself a bright smile from the other man.

Tim leant over and whispered in Danny’s ear. "It looks like all your hard work finally paid off."

~

"You are the man!" Dino grinned as he returned to where Terry was standing. "You are the man!"

"What have you been smoking, now?" Danny asked wearily, dropping his gear on the floor and stretching out on the grass, using his bag as a pillow.

Dino flipped him off and turned back to Terry, who was grinning from ear to ear, just like Dino was. "We can open our own shop. You and me can run London, these two can run New York."

"We could put the money in the Caymans," Danny suggested, earning himself a glare from Tim. "Sorry," he muttered.

"And we get together once a month to go visit our money," Dino nodded enthusiastically. "We can be execs. We do the whole long lunch thing and make everyone else do the dangerous shit."

"Well… I’m game." Danny got to his feet, brushing stray blades of grass from his pants.

"I don’t know if I want you two visiting my money," Terry smirked, hitching his gear up his shoulder.

"That’s probably a wise decision, my friend," Tim grinned, following Terry. "A very wise decision."

"Guess we only need two double hotel rooms then?" Danny asked, earning himself a swat on the back of the head from both Tim and Dino.


End file.
